Researching perceptual decisionmaking in forensics and beyond
Discover Our ProjectsDr. Busey is Professor of Cognitive Science and Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is the oldest continously operated Psychology lab in the United States, and the Cognitive Psychology program is ranked 5th in the nation.
I have conducted research in Forensics since 2002 with John Vanderkolk of the Indiana State Police. My background is in perception and cognition reearch, which I began in 1994 at Indiana University (but my first publication came in 1990). My laboratory uses the tools of cognitive science to understand how humans make decisions in forensic contexts. We use web-based tools, eye tracking, electrophysiology, and mathematical modeling. Our overall goal is to reduce errors and improve decision-making in forensic settings.
Forensic identification tasks are complex perceptual and cognitive skills. How do you know if you have made an error? Is the erroneous identificaiton rate less than 1% or 20-30% for a decision? What are the best ways to train new examiners? Where should your thresholds be placed? These are the kinds of questions we have asked, and continue to ask. Explore our research below.
View WorksIf you are a latent print examiner, toolmark, footwear, or firearm examiner, we need you! We have several experiments ongoing.
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